Scott confident DL stint won't be necessary

By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- Orioles left fielder Luke Scott said prior to Friday's game that he is "very optimistic" that the right shoulder impingement that has been plaguing him will not warrant a trip to the disabled list.

Scott -- who was in Friday's starting lineup -- said he has been playing through the discomfort since late in Spring Training, and he hopes Monday's MRI will give him and the team more clarity concerning the problem.

"I want to just see if there's anything going on in there, and if there is, what to do about it," Scott said. "If there isn't, that's good. I just want to know exactly and go from there."

Scott entered Friday's game hitting .259 with a team-leading six homers and 13 RBIs.

Hardy begins rehab assignment

BALTIMORE-- Shortstop J.J. Hardy (left oblique strain) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. He played six innings, going 1-for-2 with two walks and a run.

Manager Buck Showalter said he doesn't expect Hardy back before Monday's off-day, although he acknowledged that the infielder's return date is flexible.

"I wouldn't put an open or closed end on it," Showalter said. "Keep in mind he's been away from pitching for a while, but I wouldn't plan to see him before Tuesday. But that could change. It depends on what he and [infield coordinator] Bobby [Dickerson] and everybody else says. It could be longer than that. Let's get through the first day first and see where we are."

Hardy has been on the disabled list since April 10, and his return will shift Robert Andino back into a utility role. Although given Andino's superb play -- he entered Friday hitting .295 -- the Orioles will likely keep him fresh by rotating some their regulars.

Hardy's return will require a corresponding roster move that right now figures to send one of the Orioles relievers out, instead of a position player. The team currently has 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster, and while it's possible it sends out someone from the bench, it's far more likely that one of the extra will be removed.

Showalter said he spoke with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail on Friday to discuss all of the team's upcoming moves, which also includes pitchers Brian Matusz (left intercostal muscle strain), Alfredo Simon and Justin Duchscherer (left hip strain).

Matusz will throw 2-3 innings on Saturday in an extended spring outing, and go 3-4 frames again the next time out in preparation of a rehab assignment. Right now, that assignment is scheduled to begin on May 16, and he will have to work up to at least 90 pitches. Showalter has said Matusz would need at least three rehab games, which puts his return at the end of May at the earliest.

Orioles name honorary bat girl

BALTIMORE -- Brigid Morahan of Annapolis, Md., was chosen as the Orioles honorary bat girl and will be recognized on Sunday at Camden Yards as part of MLB Ballparks "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer."

Morahan, a pediatric nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital and mother of three, is a one-year survivor of breast cancer. She will be recognized in a special on-field ceremony prior to the Orioles' 1:35 p.m. ET game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, and will also throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The "Honorary Bat Girl" contest was developed to raise additional awareness and support for the annual "Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer" program, a joint program between MLB and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organization.

One player from each Club was deemed a representative on Mother's Day, and most have personally experienced the effects that breast and other cancers have had on their families. The Orioles representative is Nick Markakis, whose mother survived breast cancer. In addition, the Orioles donated 200 tickets to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Maryland supporters.

Machado likely headed to Minor League DL

BALTIMORE -- An MRI on Manny Machado's left knee ruled that the Orioles' star prospect has patellar subluxation, an injury that will likely put him on the Minor League seven-day disabled list.

The Orioles remain optimistic that it will be around the minimum DL stay for Machado, who was examined by one of the team doctors on Friday morning and will be seen by team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens on Monday or Tuesday.

The injury, which was suffered in Thursday night's game in the first inning for Class A Delmarva, is essentially a dislocated kneecap. After walking in his first at-bat against Asheville, Machado hurt his knee running between second and third base on a ball to center field. Machado fell to the ground and was tagged out before being helped off the field.

He reported improvement on Friday morning, and the initial course of action is just some rehab. Selected third overall by the Orioles in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Machado was named the organization's Player of the Month for April. The 18-year-old is hitting .333 with 20 runs scored, six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 21 RBIs and three stolen bases in 25 games this season.